Oreos for Breakfast: Nick BSB Fiction

Oreos for Breakfast - Chapter 23

By
The Paperbag Princess & The Pumpkin Coach

"Bunny!"

Oh, that was so my girl, yelling my nickname across the crowded concourse. She couldn't say 'Nick'? I stopped walking, looking around for her, and I caught a woman smiling at me, in a 'you don't look like a bunny' sort of way.

Then Rachel threw her arms around me, and I didn't care. She could call me whatever she wanted, just as long as she was here and she was mine. I hugged her, picking her up off the ground and making her giggle. "Hey, buttercup," I teased, setting her back on her feet.

"Hi! You're finally here!"

"I'm surprised you are," I told her. She'd told me on the phone that they weren't starting the video shoot until late, so I figured she'd still be crashed out at James' and I'd have to call and wake her up.

"Of course! Took for fuckin' ever. By the time the club was ready, it was nearly midnight. Since we weren't getting sleep anyway, Jeremy insisted we practice the new stuff. Asshole."

"New stuff?"

She grinned. "New Duran cover for the UK crowd!"

I almost asked her what it was, but I knew it wouldn't mean anything to me. I doubted they were covering anything I knew. They liked the album tracks and b-sides, and I just barely knew the singles. "Girls on Film," that was Duran, right?

"You did not shoot a video in 6 hours!" Well, it was about 7 in the morning now. They hadn't started shooting until midnight, and they were done already? I thought doing the first one in a day was good. Okay, this was just a performance video, so they'd have something to release when they were in the UK, but still…

She'd found out they needed another video when James had picked her up at the airport after she'd left me a couple of days ago, and she'd freaked out and made them reschedule everything. That would teach Saffron to make decisions when Rachel wasn't around.

"We did. It was nothing. We played the damn song forty times, and I looked cute, and it's done now. If it weren't for the freaking UK re-release, I wouldn't have done it all. They're going to edit in some of the concert stuff from 'Pretend to Be Nice,' and it'll be fine. Fucking UK double A-side. But then we get a European re-release, and it fulfills our contract, and Saffron says we can demand a lot more money now, but I'm not sure. EMI's being awfully nice to us right now. We had an amazing dressing room for the shoot, and they were all freaked out that I didn't want the limo when I left, because I was coming here to pick you up. But we get the limo tomorrow! It'll pick us up at the Point and bring us back here, so we can make out on the drive back."

That was a good idea. "Why didn't you get them to take us up there, so we could make out now?"

She opened her mouth to answer me, but then she stopped with a pout. "Because I wanted to have my car up there?"

She didn't sound very sure about that answer, and I laughed. "You've had a lot of coffee this morning, haven't you?"

"Uh-huh," she nodded. "The guy over there. He makes really good coffee, with hazelnut syrup."

Taking her hand, I started over to the coffee stand she'd pointed at. "I need some, to catch up with my over-caffeinated girlfriend. How many did you have?"

"Just two!" she protested. "Hi, Tim!" she said to the coffee guy. She knew everyone. "This is my boyfriend. He needs a cappuccino with hazelnut syrup!"

"Large," I added. "And she doesn't get one."

"Yeah, I cut her off already," Tim told me, smiling.

"I'm fine!" Rachel whined.

Alright, maybe I was a bit strung out. I was never going to sleep again, was I? Two days at home, then I'd had to turn around and do another fucking video. So that we could sell it when we were in Europe. I was tired just thinking about it.

But I had almost two days with my boyfriend. Well… 36 hours. It was nearly seven now, and we had to be back here at seven tomorrow night to catch our respective flights. 36 hours was good. We'd go home and fall into bed and lie around all day. Maybe see my family tonight…

Nick paid for his coffee and turned back to me. "Alright, we can go now."

I waved to my new favorite coffee guy, then took Nick's hand and started leading him towards the parking garage. "I haven't told anyone at home that you're coming. Well, Mom. But not the girls. We could avoid them if you want, or Jon always makes a bunch of junk food and we watch Monday Night Football, or…"

"Monday Night Football?" Nick asked hopefully, and I grinned at him.

"Want to do that?"

"Well… the Bucs are playing. We don't have to go, if you don't want to, but…"

"We can watch football, bunny. They're playing the Eagles. I like the Eagles."

"The Eagles suck!" Nick teased, and I giggled at him.

"Is there going to be bloodshed? I know Jon and Patrick are rooting for them."

"Hey, I used to sing the National Anthem before Bucs games when I was a kid. The Bucs rule!"

We bickered about football until we got to the car, and I let him put his coffee in the cup holder before I attacked him. He tasted sweet, like hazelnut syrup and coffee, and I liked the way he pulled me into his arms as we kissed. "Hi," I whispered, moving away from him, and he smiled, kissing me lightly and running his hand down my arm. His light touch made me shiver.

"Hi. I like this sweater."

"Your mom said you would," I told him, kissing him again, feeling his lips open to mine. Twenty kisses a day, right? We might get those in before I left this parking space.

"My mom?" he asked, when I let him breathe again.

"That day we went shopping. She picked it out and said you'd like it on me."

"I don't want to think too hard about that," he said, pulling me close again.

"Me neither," I agreed, opening my mouth to his again. Then he tried to move closer to me and pulled away with a yelp as he hit his head on the roof.

"Can we put this thing down?" he pouted.

I rubbed his head for him, pouting back. "It's cold outside. We might freeze."

"We're in the parking garage now. It would give us a little more, uh, room…"

"And let all these commuters watch us making out? I don't think so!"

"Then we need to get home as quickly as possible, Rache."

Laughing, I kissed him one more time before starting the car. The music blared out, and he screamed. I turned it down, but he shook his head. "No, Rache, what the hell is this?"

"Country," I answered, pulling out of the space. "Keith Urban. Lola and Saffron think I should sell him my country song."

"Country? You?"

I stuck my tongue out at him. "Keith Urban is very cool. He's sorta like a country you. All blond and sweet and sexy. But Australian."

"Australian? They have country music in Australia?"

"He might be the only one. And Olivia Newton John! She's Australian. But, anyway, he is very hot. Lola was going to be his tour manager before The Firm stole her away. She's still got his info, though, and he liked her, so she thinks he'll listen to the tape if I send it."

"Only your country song sucks."

"Actually, it's a really good song. You just don't like the subject matter."

"No, I hate that my break up song is country." He said 'country' like it tasted bad.

"Hey!" I whined. "I wrote you like ten break up songs! Just one of them is country. "Mean Streak" is rock, and everyone loves that one."

"Except me."

Taking his hand, I kissed his fingers. "Sorry. Because it's part of the set list now."

"I'm going on to your message boards and telling everyone it sucks, and they will rise up against you."

"Doubtful, bunny. Saffron tells me they're over there begging for tapes of the country one."

"Oh, hell," he said with a pout, and I had to take my hand back to find money for parking. He handed me a twenty, and we were on the highway before we resumed our conversation.

"You have to play it for me," he said, and I glanced over at him.

"What?"

"The country one."

"Didn't you hear it at the video shoot?"

"I wasn't exactly paying attention. Well, I was, but… I put it out of my mind, I guess. It was…"

"Too much about you," I finished for him. "Alright, I'll… no."

She shuddered, and I laughed at her. "What?"

"I so can't play it for you. It's too personal."

What the fuck? "You have songs for Jeremy!" I reminded her, but she shook her head.

"Not like that one. I'm sorta freaking out that 'Pretend to be Nice' is the next single, and that one's all about Damon. No, the country one's too raw. I'm no Gwen."

"Who?"

She rolled her eyes. "Gwen. Stefani. No Doubt?"

"I know who Gwen Stefani is! But what does she have to do with anything?"

"Every freaking song she's ever written is about Tony Kanal, the guitarist. Or Gavin. Either way. I mean, I've got some break up songs, but I don't have 'Don't Speak,' which is all heartfelt and shit. I can't imagine doing a song like that in front of Jeremy every night."

"What about 'Minneapolis'?" I asked her. "That's all happy, and now you're not together."

She considered for a moment, and then shrugged. "Now it's just one of our songs. I guess that's how No Doubt does it. Maybe one day I'll meet Gwen and we'll get drunk and discuss it. I might the only girl in the world who understands her, and we'll be best friends!" she declared gleefully, and I had to laugh.

"You and Gwen Stefani would be the wet dream of every teenage boy who watches MTV, Rache."

"Hell, that's my wet dream, bunny. She is freaking hot."

"So are you," I informed her, stealing a kiss. "Way hotter than her."

"You are too kind. But, anyway, I'm doing a demo of the country song, which I should probably call something other than 'the country song,' and I'll send it to you. You can listen to it when I'm not in the room. Preferably not on the same continent."

That was going to be easy to do after tomorrow. Weeks without her. Weeks without even the hope of her. It was going to suck.

But I was not going to get overwrought now.

"Your song is too good for country, Rache. Country songs are all about losing your job and your girl and shit like that."

"This song is about losing my boy, it fits right in. Simple songs of love and heartbreak, baby."

"Nah, that's not enough. You need to lose your job and your house and everything else."

"That's the blues, Nick. Not country."

"Uh-huh. Plenty of country songs start with losing everything." I flicked off the radio and sang to her with my best country twang. "I got no money in my pockets…"

Grinning, she sang back. "I got a hole in my jeans."

That was good, but I could top it. "I had a job and I lost it."

And then she turned it around. "But it won't get to me…" Catching my eye, she stopped singing. "Let's do the love part, bunny, not the heartbreak."

How could I do heartbreak with my girlfriend sitting beside me, smiling like that? "Cause I'm ridin' with my baby."

"And it's a brand new day," she responded, looking at the bright blue sky around us.

"We're on the wheels of an… angel," I stumbled. It was a cute car. And 'angel' was better than 'engine,' which is where I was going.

That made her giggle, and all she could come up with was, "Flyin' away…"

Was it time for a chorus now? "And the sun is shinin'…" You definitely couldn't pronounce that final 'g' in a country song. That much I knew.

"This road keeps windin'" she went on, turning into a curve.

"Through the prettiest country," I continued, looking out my window. There was actually grass out here. I'd had no idea there were trees and shit so close to New York City until I met Rachel.

"From Georgia to Tennessee," she sang, and I looked over at her.

"We are nowhere near either Georgia or Tennessee."

"It's a country song. I can't sing about the L.I.E., now can I?"

I sang to her, "Tennessee… L.I.E… they both scan, Rache."

"It doesn't work!" she protested. "Keep going!"

Shit. Okay. What was the tune again? "And I got the one I love beside me," I offered.

She liked that one, looking over with a smile. "My troubles behind me."

Really? Were our troubles behind us? Probably not… but we could pretend for a little while.

"I'm alive and I'm free," I answered her with a grin.

"Who wouldn't want to be me?" she sang, and I couldn't top that one.

"Now that is a country song," I laughed, and she looked away from the road long enough to kiss me.

"Simple songs of love and heartbreak, baby. When we get home, I'm writing that one down and putting it on the tape for Keith. It's gonna be a huge hit."

Yeah, right. "You can't have it! I'm gonna keep it and put out a country album."

I snickered. "Good ole Backstreet Boys? Or will it be on your solo effort?"

"That's better than anything they'd make me do on a solo album, I'm sure."

I glanced over at him. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "Nothing. Just… I'm just tired of the ballads. Been on tour too long."

"Ah, you love the ballads, you get to over-emote and shit!"

He smiled at that, leaning over and turning the stereo back on. Keith blared out of the speakers again, and Nick turned the CD off quickly, hunting for something on the radio. "Yeah, but it gets old. I look at you and… all you need is your guitar, Rache, and you're ready for a show."

"Not really, bunny." Did he really think that? "It hasn't been like that for a long time. We were just talking about that this morning, actually. We used to be able to cater a party until midnight and then just show up at a club with our gear and jump on stage. It's not like that anymore. Now someone else tunes my guitar!"

"Catering?" Nick looked over at me, a puzzled expression on his face.

"Haven't I told you about the catering gigs?"

He tried to suppress a laugh, but it was no use.

"Oh stop! I'm sure you… forget it. You never had any embarrassing jobs because you were a fucking child prodigy! I'm sure the other fellas had embarrassing jobs, right?"

He shrugged, "Guess so. I don't remember. I think Howie waited tables or something. Kevin led nature hikes and… well, he was Aladdin and a Ninja Turtle. That's kinda embarrassing!"

"Well, Sudden Silence catered. Scratch that… the responsible members of Sudden Silence catered." Nick was lost again, and I rolled my eyes. "Really, do you see Jeremy holding down a real job?"

He thought for a second and then shook his head, "Nah. Let me guess. Jeremy… what would Jeremy do?" He was quiet for a second, looking out the window at the cars whizzing by us as he thought about it.

I hated morning traffic. Wasn't everyone supposed to be going into the city? Why were they bothering me?

"Stole lunch money from little kids at the local school?" Nick started imitating Jeremy harassing little kids and I nearly had to pull off the road. I was laughing so hard my eyes were tearing and I couldn't see.

"Oh, that was good, Nick! But… no. Jeremy always had a gig in a club or studio or record store. Part time, crazy hours and shit. We were able to do demos of our first album because Jeremy was working in a studio in the Village and he'd sneak us in after hours."

"Cool. Is that how you learned how to mix your own stuff?"

"Yeah. Well, Jeremy and Darien did that stuff, really. Anyway, that's what Jeremy did. Never had any money and was always working weird schedules. But the rest of us catered. James and I butlered the food and stuff. Darien…"

Nick didn't let me finish, "Tended bar?"

I smiled "You are so right!"

"Do I get a prize for guessing right?" he asked, moving closer to me. His voice was low, and he ran a hand down my arm, making me shiver. "Cold, Rache?"

I shook my head, and he kissed my neck lightly. His touch shot through me as I felt his lips on my skin.

"Pull over," he whispered.

I didn't even think, just followed his order. Traffic was lighter now, and I pulled off onto the shoulder. My seatbelt was off before the car was even in park.

Nick fumbled with the lever for the seat as I climbed over the gear stick and straddled his hips. We'd cleared most of the city traffic. We could stop here and make out for a minute, right? I didn't care about anything but kissing him as his seat went back and I fell on top of him.

Oh, fuck. This was good. I kissed him deeply, and he arched his back as I moved my hips against his. His hands circled my waist and then fondled my ass as he held me against his growing erection. I loved that. He was getting hard already and we had barely been kissing. Oh, hell, who was I kidding… I was wet the moment I saw him. Wrapping my hands in his hair, I tugged and he moaned into my mouth.

"Damn, baby," he sighed as I rubbed my body against his. "We need to find a room or something."

"Awww," I cooed, biting his earlobe lightly, "You can hold it, can't you? Just think how hot it will be when we get home to my big bed?" His moans grew louder as I whispered in his ear. "Or will you just throw me down on the floor when we get inside the door, baby? Maybe we'll get halfway up the stairs before you rip off my clothes and take me hard from behind…"

"Shit, Rache…" he groaned as I moved my hips off his and he lost the sensation against his cock. I giggled against his neck as he squirmed underneath me.

I let him pull me back down and kiss me again, loving the way his tongue felt rubbing against mine… rough and soft all at once. Finally I had to pull back to catch my breath. I popped the first few buttons on his shirt and kissed his chest, "Nicky, all that talking about catering made me hungry."

"I'm hungry for you," he growled, sucking hard on my neck and licking my skin. I couldn't even find my voice to make fun of him. I didn't want him to stop. Not yet. Just one more minute.

One turned into five, and then it must have been ten. I heard a car horn in the distance and pulled away from him as he pulled my sweater up and traced the tattoo on my stomach before his fingers slid inside my jeans. "God, Nick… stop…"

"Doesn't sound very convincing, Rache," he teased, his blue eyes sparkling in the morning light. I kissed him quickly and then pulled back, sitting up and adjusting my clothes.

He reached for me again and I opened the car door quickly, tumbling out onto the grass by the car.

Where the hell was she going? Wasn't she having fun? God, I loved kissing her. Her lips tasted so sweet. And that sweater was soft… it didn't hurt that it fit her like a glove, showing off her breasts. I liked the way it felt against me. She had to come back here so I could pull it off, revealing her skin slowly and kissing every inch of her…

Why was she standing outside the car? She grinned at me, and then walked around to the driver's side, sitting down and smiling at me.

"Rache…?"

"Sorry, bunny. No room and… God, you really can't touch me like that. I can't stop…"

I cut her off, smirking. "That was the general idea, babe."

She leaned over to kiss me. "It was working."

"Obviously not," I huffed, refastening my seatbelt as she started the car.

"Don't be mad, bunny."

I wasn't mad, was I? Okay, a little mad. Disappointed? I stretched and looked out the window. It was pretty out here. We were only half an hour or so outside of the city, but it looked like a different world already. Trees and grass. "Is that an IHOP sign?"

She looked over at me. "Hungry, bunny?"

I just nodded. I needed more coffee and some food, or I was going to crash.

"I wanted to make you breakfast, but this will do, I guess."

"It's hours until we get to the Point, Rache." Right? I never remembered. I just loved making this drive with her. I liked it when it was just us, listening to music and acting silly. Did we really just write a song? That was so cool!

She frowned at me as she pulled off at the next exit, "About an hour the way I drive, but don't tell my mom or brothers."

"You are such the prized girl, Rache." She started to pout again, and I stole a kiss before the light changed. "Hey! That's not a bad thing. So… your brothers don't know I'm coming?"

She shook her head, pulling into a spot right in front of the door. "No. Mom does, but that's it. Did I tell you that I'm ruining Katie's life?"

"No. And I seriously doubt that." As soon as we were out of the car, I pulled her into my arms, hugging her tightly and nuzzling her neck. I loved how she leaned against me, like she couldn't be close enough to me. "I thought I saw a motel down the road, buttercup. Sure you don't want to order room service?"

She just laughed, hugging me for a second before pulling away and taking my hand in hers, "My bed is better!"

Once we were settled in a booth with a pot of coffee sitting between us, he looked at me seriously. "You know I'm kidding about the motel, right?"

"Just sort of, though…"

Smiling, he leaned over the table to kiss me, "You're just so sexy in that sweater, Rache. I can't keep my hands off you."

"Or your eyes off my breasts… I know, bunny. It's the push-up bra the stylist made me wear. Hurts like a bitch." He gave me a "suffer, because it's fucking hot" look. He was such a boy! "Neither could half the guys in the airport. Guess your mom was right, this sweater makes me look hot."

Nick laughed, "Totally ruining the mood, bringing Mom into the mix, Rache. So, tell me how you're ruining poor Katie's life. I thought she liked you? It was Colleen who hates you, right? Because you were mean to me and all."

I loved that teasing little smile of his. "Oh, stop it! She loves me again."

"Only because you took me back," he teased, looking at me over his menu, but my retort was delayed as our waitress appeared. He ordered enough food for an army.

"Save room for lunch, Nick! We have to stop at the store on the way in so I can pick up stuff for lasagna if we're going to Jon's tonight."

"Mmmm… lasagna! You make the best lasagna, Rache."

I smiled at that. He said the nicest things to me. I loved that he liked my lasagna and my house and my family… even if he was constantly getting Colleen and Katie confused.

"I'll make two, then, and you can take the extra one back with you. That way you can't forget about me when you're all alone on the road, baby."

Suddenly, his smile was gone, and he grabbed my hand, "I could never forget about you, Rache. Stop thinking that…"

Oh shit! Did that sound bad? Did it sound like I was jealous again? "Bunny, I didn't mean it that way. Really. I was just teasing."

"Don't tease me about that, Rache. Please?"

His eyes were so serious. Where the hell did my joking, flirting boyfriend go? I wanted him back. I hated that one wrong word or move from me made him all worried like this.

"Okay. You can let me go, Nick."

I realized I was holding her hand tightly in mine, and I dropped it. Fuck. She was just joking and I went and reminded her about everything. When was this going to stop?

Rachel reached up and brushed the hair off my forehead, and I couldn't look her in the eye. I was just over-reacting, right? "I'm sorry, Rache. I just… I'm not going to do that again, and I don't know how to prove that to you. We're good, right?"

"We're good, Nick. I'm sorry. You don't have to keep apologizing, okay?" I nodded, and she smiled over at me. "I think we need some food."

I touched the ring on my hand absentmindedly. I loved that she'd given me a ring. I'd looked down at it about a million times since she'd left a few days ago. It was a constant reminder that she loved me. Rachel loved me. She didn't have to take me back and put up with my stupid job and family… but she did.

Our food came, and she pulled her hand out of mine, picking up her fork quickly. "I'm starving!"

We ate for a few minutes without talking and then I looked over at her, "So, tell me about Katie."

"Katie! I'm ruining her life because now that we're popular, all these little girls at school want to be her best friend."

"That's bad?"

"Of course that's bad! They don't like her for her. They like her because I'm famous or something."

"Or dating the cute one in Backstreet…" I teased, and she grinned up at me.

"That, too… but she tells me that everyone's all excited about *Nsync. Whatever!"

"Substandard upstarts!" I scowled into my pancakes, and she just laughed at me. Hey, I was only half-joking about that! No matter what we did, they had to come along and do it better.

"Don't worry, bunny. I still love you best!"

I had to grin at that. "Did you tell her that she shouldn't be friends with people just because they like you?"

"Exactly! She wanted to know if I was coming to pick tomorrow because her new best friend Kelly was only coming if I was going to be there!"

"Pick what?"

"Grapes. It's harvest."

"Harvest of what…? Oh! You actually pick the grapes… for the wine?"

She couldn't even hide her amusement, and I stumbled over myself trying to explain. Duh, they had to pick the grapes to make the wine. It's just that I didn't know that they did it. Like, themselves.

Apparently they did, and if she could get me out of bed tomorrow, I could help. That might be cool. Then again, staying in bed with my girl for the next 24 hours might be better.

Chapter added 12.6.03

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